Obsession
by Kittyflare
Summary: Christine is kidnapped by a half-masked man who frightens her with his strange, obsessive thoughts and yet in many aspects, he fascinates her with his voice and music. In her forced marriage with him, Christine tries everything she can to escape but as time passes by, she learns to uncover his deep love for her. Nevertheless, fear can turn into love. ExC, Modern Fanfic
1. Chapter 1

**Firstly** , before anything goes, I want to say that this is a rewritten story of my first fanfic "And he loved her" that I wrote when I was 13. I'm now 15 and this year I'm rewriting the story because my friend's birthday is coming (Ps she doesn't surf for fanfictions here). That's why I'm rewriting the story and I need all the reviews and feedback you can give desperately because I really want to give a surprise to my friend.

This story will be updated at least 2 chapters per week (So it's going to be fast updating) and I really, really need all your support and feedback for this story. Thank you!

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 _"Christine, I…" He looked at me, his amber eyes staring at me. The room was completely quiet except for the sound of his heavy breathing. It was almost as if I was beginning to see another side of him, a more personal, vulnerable side than his usual cold and distant character. He looked confused, so absolutely confused and for once I saw him at a loss of words. Then he clasped my hands desperately in a very reluctant manner to let go. "Christine, I love you. I love you so much that I can't ever let you go. I don't even know how to start because my mind is in a complete blur when I simply think of you. I don't know when… I don't know how… but you've captured my heart entirely. You've become my inspiration, my sole reason to live. Christine I love you deeply, and I love you so very much."_

He said that to me the first time I met him. Those were the first sentences that he uttered from the beautiful, yet terrifying lips of his. For the first time in my life, I never thought that someone other than my parents was thinking about me or even caring about me. Rather, actually loving me. I was younger then, so very, very young. I was only sixteen. When I heard those words about his proclaim of love for me, I was stunned; frozen. I couldn't come up with a sufficient reply then, because I had no idea what to say. Someone loves me? Impossible! That was all I could think of.

In the first place, I was never those kind of girls who were popular amongst everyone in school. Rather, I was the more shy, reserved type. I kept quiet and dared not to talk amongst the others, always making sure I was never the centre of attention. Also, I had a weaker body than most of the others and was never the sporty type. Instead of being athletic, I excelled in aesthetics. Specifically, it was singing that I was naturally talented in. Only a few of my really close friends had ever heard me sing and they said I had an amazing talent for it. Yes, perhaps so, but my family could never afford the training. We weren't well off very well, and we were already struggling to just have bread on the table. I couldn't possibly be selfish and ask for more things.

Ah yes, my family. I was an only child and I had no siblings. My mother passed away a long time ago when she died giving birth to me. My father was the sole parent who brought me up, and he supported us by playing the violin at the streets. He could play the violin really well and his skills were absolutely amazing. However, recently, my father could no longer do so. Not while he was gravely ill. The doctor diagnosed my father, saying he was afflicted with a fatal, long-term chronic disease. Thus, that was the day I began to work multiple odd jobs. Since my father and I had no relatives (they were either dead or we had lost all contact with them), I became the sole breadwinner of the family. I worked many jobs. For example, just this morning I worked as a cashier, and in the afternoon I worked as a waitress, and currently right now at night I had just finished my shift as a singer in a pub. Here I was now, walking back home across the quiet road of Summer Street. My work as a singer was more exhausting than I thought actually. I had to sing for hours, and I had to work so hard to earn such a miserable, insufficient income. I had even dropped out of school just for the sake of supporting my father and I. Life was never fair.

I let out a distressed sigh and continued my way back home. The road was rather quiet, and I was the only person walking past the street at this hour. Few cars passed by Summer Street as it was more of a branch road located near an isolated forest, and there were fewer infrastructures built at this part of town.

The cold night zephyr blew by, caressing my cheeks and rustling the nearby leaves. The trees swayed with the wind, and a small black car zoomed past the road.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm. His grip was firm and strong, and on impulse I screamed with all I could in my fright- except that no one was there other than the man and I. I struggled relentlessly, as I jerked, wriggled, and began to flail my arms frantically. But his grip only got tighter and firmer. Before I could react again, he gagged me with a linen cloth. It wasn't so much of the cloth, but rather an intense, strong smell that came from the it. Soon, my breathing got heavier and my eyes started to give vision away. I felt extremely dizzy with everything else looking blurred and hazy. Short beams of light streamed from the street lamps, and that was about all I could see. I ceased my struggling and began to succumb to the drug in the linen cloth. However, just before I would black out, I used every ounce of my energy to turn around; to turn around and see who was the culprit.

A tall, lean man he was, clad in a black formal suit with his hair neatly combed to the side. Particularly it was his amber, golden eyes that stared, almost like two stars that were burning bright in the night sky. The last thing I remembered was a mask he wore; it would be quite logical for him to do so in order to keep his identity hidden- except that the mask didn't cover his whole face, it covered only half his face. However, before I could react or do anything at all, I just blacked out.

Darkness swept in, blanketing my vision.


	2. Chapter 2

_Please write feedback/ a review ! I desperately need it. In return I will update this fanfic really fast. Thank you._

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Whispers and echoes… what were they saying? I could hear many sounds and voices all jumbled at once and images rapidly flashing in my mind. Those images made no sense at all. They were just blur, hazy visions often accommodated with streams of lamplight. Ah, yes… the lamplight. It seemed so familiar, like something I've seemed to have forgotten or- wait the street lamps!

I jerked out of bed, breathing heavily. There was a strange yet unbearable throbbing at the sides of my head and I winced in pain. As I sat there and began to think, I realised that those visions weren't dreams or redundant images, they were memories, my memories of what happened last night. That was including the voices that I heard initially; they were my thoughts screaming in fear as I got kidnapped.

Now I remembered the strange smell on the linen cloth that got me out cold. But how long exactly was I out? It was at this moment that I raised my head and looked around me. I was in a room painted dark red and black, and with it there was a mahogany table, a few chairs and the bed I was lying on. Black sheets with its intricate patterns of red blanketed me. I was on a queen sized bed that was covered by a large, dark red canopy.

 _Where exactly was I?_ I frantically turned and looked around. The entire room was unfamiliar and I forced myself to think straight. _What was the last thing I saw? The last thing…_ my thoughts trailed off.

I remembered now. It suddenly dawned upon me. That man- that half masked man. He was the one. He..

He's here.

I found it hard to believe- and yet somehow believable- that he had been here the entire time watching me, observing me. And yet I was completely oblivious all along to notice. The man sat on a wooden chair completely silent, his amber gaze directed towards me. My fingers began to tremble, my heart began to race- not out of excitement or any feelings of attraction obviously- but out of the pure terror and trepidation that gripped my heart.

I held my breath.

He was the same man clad in black with the same identifiable mask covering just half his face. In my shock, I stopped for a moment and looked back at him. His golden gaze never wavered. We just stared at each other.

The silence began to feel uncomfortable. His presence alone was uncomfortable. Never had I felt such spine-chilling, unnerving feelings from the presence of a single man. How was it possible from the time I first woke up, he had been here all along and that I never even noticed? Oh my goodness. Just what did he want? He kidnapped me didn't he? Was it rape? Was it going to be murder? Oh gosh, my dear guardian angels help me…

"Who are you?" I broke the silence. I tried to muster my courage and asked, but ended up stumbling on my own words. "Where is this place?"

The man said nothing. He just stared on, but the way he looked at me. It was as if those amber eyes were peering right into my very soul. As if he was trying to _read_ _me._

For once, I was struck with terror just by the presence of a person. My senses started to tingle and my instincts were screaming _run, run, run away!_ But I did nothing. I was frozen, or rather rooted in my fear. This man proved to have something up in his sleeve; like harbouring some sort of hidden intention. However, whatever it was, it definitely couldn't be good.

At least not for me.

"Who are you? Where is this place and why did you kidnap me?"

His gaze looked far away now. It was as if his thoughts were jumbled, but his eyes still looked at mine.

I paused.

It was at this moment that he seemed as if he wanted to say something, but then he hesitated and kept silent. And then he looked up again and directed his golden gaze towards me. I said nothing. For a moment he paused, then spoke.

"I have to admit," he uttered. "That I am not entirely sure where to begin."

All those thoughts, all those conflicting voices that had been echoing in my mind stopped. I looked up at him in wonder, where his gaze was ever unwavering.

That voice of his. It had some sensual, calming effect that synchronised with his deep, resonating voice. And yet it was light, almost like the softest, most calming wind that would caress you. _Even hypnotic_.

However, the man himself kept silent for a long while. It was as if he was befuddled, struggling to find the right words to speak.

"Christine, there are… so many things I want to say," his voice sounded strained, almost as if he couldn't control what he was speaking. "There are so many feelings I want to convey to you."

He once again, stayed quiet for another long length of time. I was getting nervous in that awkward pause, and beads of perspiration was trickling down my forehead. In my nervousness, I began to rub my hands intensively. I had no idea what to do and had no idea about what to say. However, it was the next few words he said that caught my attention yet again.

"Christine, you're my inspiration," he paused again. "My inspiration to live."  
There it was again, that awkward silence and that instance where my mind goes blank. I heard what he said and my mind began to process it.  
 _What?_ I thought _. As if my thoughts couldn't get anymore muddled than it already was._  
I just stared back, with my mind literally blank. There was nothing I knew to do or say but to just stare back wide-eyed. The man himself spoke nothing either but from what I saw, behind that mask of his was his two amber eyes that shimmered, watery with… tears. _Almost as if he was feeling just as emotional as me_.

I got out of the tangled bedsheets and edged closer towards the wall that was most furthest away from him. I had no idea what he was going to say or do. From what I saw, he said those words like he was in a trance even when his eyes remained locked with mine. I had to come up with a reply, didn't I? As I stood there thinking hard, the next few words which he said completely snatched my attention away instead.

"Christine," he called my name once more. "I love you."

Shock after shock it came, and this time it was the same. My mind went blank just like all the other moments before with this man. I began to stutter and mumble some rubbish in my daze. Now his gaze looked pleading, as if desperately seeking out an answer from me. This time it was him searching for the answers, not me.

"I…" my voice trailed off as I stared back at him. There was this long pause from me as I stood. "I can't think now."

The silence ensued.

 _Idiot!_ I immediately screamed in my thoughts. That was no definite answer. It was something I blurted out by accident, amidst all the confusion I was feeling. _Say something proper, Christine._ I told myself.

"I honestly don't know what to say even now," my voice betrayed me horribly. However, it was at this moment that as I continued to look at the man, I remembered- he was still my kidnapper. He was the one who dragged me off here and imprisoned me here, and I still couldn't read his thoughts or understand clearly what he was doing. He said he loved me, but was that even true? He seemed as if he couldn't think straight either, and I was all alone in this unfamiliar place. I had no means of escape or contact with anyone I knew.

"I'm scared."

Again, there was a long pause. I said nothing, and he uttered nothing either.

Now I couldn't guess his reaction or his feelings while half his face hid behind that mask of his. I couldn't read his gaze, and it seemed as if many thoughts were running through his mind now. The silence continued yet again, and I squeezed my arms and move towards the corner of a wall.

Suddenly, he rose from his chair and began walking towards me. I dug my nails even deeper into my skin now, the terror growing in me by the second. He stopped and looked down at me, his astounding height towering me from where I sat.

A hand reached out towards me from where I huddled.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for your reviews so far, especially those lines of encouragement. I will try my very best, I hope you can also spread the word about this phanfiction to your friends and family, it's not going to have lemon btw._

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Some people have always asked this very question: love, what is love? That word alone carries many different meanings and definitions shared by many kinds of people. However, one thing was always clear- love was never in the picture for me. It was something I never thought about or rather, didn't have the time to talk about. I always had my father in mind, and that was all it was to it. Everyday, I toiled in hard work for my father, constantly thinking only about his well being.

However, I would never have once guessed or even predicted that I would be kidnapped, then dragged off all the way here to this unknown place of sorts. The next thing that I would never have expected to happen would be being confessed by my frightening yet mysterious kidnapper.

I was sitting by myself and clutching my arm tightly, while he- the kidnapper himself- was walking towards me. He stopped right in front of me, and I could feel my heart thumping madly in terror. I cringed, feeling goosebumps all over my arm.

His shadow loomed over me and I only realised how tall he was after he rose from his chair. He was literally towering over me from where I sat, and I could feel his burning gaze on me. I closed my eyes and squeezed myself even closer towards the walls.

"Christine," he called my name yet again with that exotic, sensual voice of his. However, still I shuddered in fear. I only looked up to see his hand reaching towards me and from there, a piece of paper.

"I can let you go after eight months," he muttered. "And that is, only after you sign this document."

"Eight months?" I replied. "What sort of agreement is this?"

In the first place, even though I was happy about it, I never expected my kidnapper to agree letting me go. Things got more confusing;his words, his actions and especially his thoughts. Also, the fact that I had to wait eight months to be released was questionable. Why was it so? What exactly was stated on that piece of paper? I took the page from him.

"Seems like a legal document." I mumbled as I started to read its contents.

"It is a legal document." he replied.

However, as I read the words on the page, I could feel yet again the shock and terror which threatened to grip me by the heart. I could not believe the very words I was reading from the paper, and my eyes just popped out. My fingers were trembling as I held the very page and my rage was boiling terribly.

"How dare you!" I exploded. "No, I am not- definitely not going to agree to this. This is nonsensical, simply ridiculous!"

"And why is that so?" he replied, his voice smooth and calm. However, I was seized with anger and my voice crackled in fury as I screeched.

"This document; the very one which you gave me says that I will marry this Erik Destler! I don't even know who he is and-"

"I am Erik," he replied. He said it as if a forced marriage was a perfectly normal thing to do. He then started to walk past the table and took a pen. "There will be no need for a judge or a priest for our marriage," he announced. "That is all taken care of."

"This is absolutely redundant. I won't sign it."

I stood up now, in my attempt to show him that I would stand my ground against him. The room went completely silent. He uttered not a single word while my cheeks were flushed red in fury.

"I will never agree." I said. "I refuse to do so."

"I know exactly why you will sign that document," his voice sounded so arrogant, so full of himself. "Your father."

Immediately, just by hearing Father's name, I went absolutely quiet. I stared back at Erik in silent realisation. The anger that threatened to erupt inside me just earlier simply faded away and in turn, was replaced by pure terror that began to grip my very being.

"No," I tried to refuse. Hot tears began to well up in my eyes. The disbelief I had, the fear that started to consume me was beginning to feel unbearable. "Please, don't do this!"

However, Erik simply brushed away my distraught pleas.

"You care and love for him very much, don't you? Your dear father has major cancer in the lungs and even senile dementia. Would be quite a shame if he just… disappeared from the face of the earth," There was a glimmer of superiority in his eyes, and that methodical voice of his only made his brazen presence even more evident and impenetrable.

My father had been the only light of hope that I ever had. When my mother left us, he was the only one I could always go back to, the only one that ever cared for me. My father was my life. His well-being alone was my only happiness, and I had only truly loved and cared for one person, and that was my father.

"I'll do it," I said. My tears were already rolling down my cheeks, and my throat had become dry, so dry that I almost croaked. "But you have to promise- promise that you will never hurt my father."

"I will keep my word."

I knew that there was no way I could actually verify the validity of what he said, but even so I never doubted the sincerity in his voice. I still continued to believe every word he said.

With that, I took the pen from him and signed my soul, my future, my everything to him.

To the man Erik Destler, who became my husband.

He then exited by the door and I was left alone to myself. Then I slumped, my back to the wall and my tears were flowing down my cheeks uncontrollably. I couldn't stop my sobbing and my cries were deafening because after all, I had finally done it. I sold my soul away to the demon.

I was drowned by the cries of my sobbing which had went on for hours and hours. It was during this moment that I could never think straight; I could only feel the incredible torment of grief and anguish engulfing me whole.

The crying never stopped, the sorrow would never cease. What was left was only me; a broken shell with everything given away, or rather sacrificed, for my father's sake.

 _No,_ I screeched in my mind. _I will never bow or obey that half-masked man._

 _I will escape- I will leave that wretched Erik._


	4. Chapter 4

_There was the soft sound of a music note which was almost barely audible at first, but it was like a pin drop, soft and yet clear. Then there were more; more music notes that seemed to emerge and flow, and it came like a river, melodious and soothing. I couldn't think properly or focus clearly, in fact everything felt hazy. All I could do was hear the beautiful music resonating in the air amidst the quietness in the room. Slowly, everything shifted back into the darkness and I returned back to my sleep. It felt dreamy though, for a soft, angelic voice began to sing and it tickled my ear, beckoning me to listen to it, making me think only about it._

 _Quietly, I sobbed again for this voice sounded so gentle and so very kind that it reminded me of my father. My dear, dear father…_

 **~~.~~**

I blinked. Opened my eyes. For a moment there was silence, and I saw only the morning sunlight streaming across the entire room. Then my vision started to clear and focus, and soon I could also hear the soft ticking of the clock that came from the other side of the room. Slowly, I tried to get up from my sitting position but as I did so, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder and I realised that the ache had travelled all over my back. I groaned sorely and staggered towards the bed, before I lay on its soft, comfortable sheets.

It took me a while, but my thoughts came back to me with every single bit of it fresh in my mind.I remembered being forced to sign the document of marriage even when I was terribly against it. I had sobbed and weeped with such sorrow and helplessness when I did sign it but for how long exactly? I had to have fallen asleep then for I lost track of time, and that would also quite explain why my back was aching so much. After all, I fell asleep in the exact same sitting position for hours.

Slowly, I shifted and rested my back on the pillows. The morning air was crisp and fresh, and there was the familiar sound of birds chirping.

 _Birds chirping?_ I thought. _Wait where exactly am I?_ Immediately I got out of the bed and rushed towards the window. It was rectangular with window grills on it, but what I was more interested in was the view outside. There was lush greenery and vegetation flourishing right in the open, and the strong sunlight was beaming right at my eyes. All I saw was vegetation and more vegetation- an entire forest just outside. There were no buildings, no infrastructures of any sort but just that mass growth of trees and plants.

I backed away, a little traumatized and rather scared. The entire area was unfamiliar; it was a place I had never been to, a place I had no idea where to navigate myself in. How was I going to escape?

Just then, there were a few knocks and dribbles on the door. I knew well about who was to come and immediately I dived for the covers of the bed. The door swung open, but instead of the man whom I thought would enter, it was a short, middle-aged lady who came in instead. She was a little stout and plump, wearing a white apron and a decent, simple black garb. There was a tray she carried, from which there was a slightly sweet yet strongly aromatic smell. What she wore was a domestic maid's uniform, and the food she was carrying on the tray was freshly, baked bread. She closed the door shut before placing the food tray on the table. Upon whiffing the mouthwatering scent of bread, I scurried over and began to munch on it, as my teeth sank into its hearthy, crumbling crust. My stomach growled fiercely as I was incredibly famished. I could think of nothing else but the food before me at first, but then as I continued to eat, realisation finally hit me about why the lady was here.

She herself looked at me in wonder, slightly stunned by my hunger. Then she gave a chuckle, a good loud chuckle before she asked me if I wanted more.

"The master of the house sent me to serve you your breakfast."

 _Master_? I wondered.

"Who is the owner of this house?"

"Why it's your husband, Erik."

 _Erik!_ I gritted my teeth angrily.

"Where is he? I want to talk with him. I have things I need to say."

"Oh dear me, he's not here. He's gone to do some work and won't be back until late midnight. "

I gave a sigh before placing the empty plate back on the tray.

"Is there something else I can do to help you?" She sounded concerned, and even so, a little worried.

"Can't you let me off this place? I want to go back home, back to my true home."

She frowned a little, and stuttered.

"I'm afraid there are many things I can't do for you, ma'am." She sounded so truly sorry that I too, felt sorry for giving her the trouble.

"How about this then? A small bottle of ribena and some biscuits. If possible, I hope you can include a safety pin too. I ripped my dress by accident today."

She nodded, gave a warm smile, then took the tray away and went out of the room. As she did so, I could hear the sound of the lock clicking and some murmurs outside. Out of curiousity, I crept closer towards the door to peek a little. There were two silhouettes, one which was the maid's and the other which seemed to belong to a man's. It was highly likely that Erik posted someone to watch over the door to this room.

I clenched my fists tightly. I knew it all along that no one here would possibly help me flee from this place. It wasn't that I blamed the maid, she probably wouldn't be able to last the consequences for letting me ago. However, that didn't mean I would sit here and wait until help arrived. I would plan my escape and flee from this horrid place, and I had to start my preparations now. The only time that guaranteed a better chance of my escape would be in the evening when it was dark and Erik had not yet returned. I had a clear idea of it now- if I could flee from here, I could report the kidnapping to the police and take this matter to the court. Perhaps I could even change my identity, and I would never have to see that horrid man ever again.

"Christine." the maid knocked on the door and came in with a tray of biscuits, a bottle of ribena and the safety pin I requested.

"Thank you." I replied, and she responded with a warm smile before exiting the room. However, the moment I heard the door lock was the moment I began to work. In truth, the safety pin which I asked from her wasn't for the torn piece in my dress. In fact, my dress was perfectly fine. This safety pin was the key- the key I would need to pick the lock and get myself out of the room.

Everything needed to come to place. The next thing which I had asked for was the bottle of ribena. It wasn't the drink I needed (I gulped it down anyways), it was the bottle. If I were to run into the forest unprepared, I would've just died from dehydration. I really needed something to carry water and the bottle was just perfect for that. Additionally, the biscuits here would also be a good source of food when I went hungry in the forest. Rather than risk my chance foraging for food, the biscuits here would be enough to last me for quite sometime.

Quickly, I took the tablecloth and wrapped the biscuits, then I was done. All I had to do now was wait for the sky to get darker. Under the night sky, I could hide better than during the day. I just had to make sure I wore thicker clothes to tackle the freezing cold and pants so I could run more easily. For now, I relaxed a little and waited quietly for the night to come. I needed to have every ounce of my energy if I wanted to execute this plan successfully.

 **~~.~~**

It had been quite a while now when I first started lying down and staring into space. There was nothing for me to do and I got bored quickly. However, at almost every hour, there was some shuffling of the feet and someone would open the door to check on me. All I did was gave an awkward stare at them and they would shut the door again.

However, as time passed by, the hourly watching soon ceased. The minutes ticked by, and soon it was hours that went by. Before I knew it, it was already the beginning of night. To my surprise though, the entire household went to bed quite early, but I guessed it was probably because of the pitch-black darkness at night.

The hustling, bustling noise in the house began to quieten down as the lights that were being switched off. When I heard the footsteps of others walking away from the door to my room, I knew it was the best time- the best time for my escape.

However, before I began to fiddle with the door lock, I knew I needed a sharp tool in case there were any guards in the way, but there was absolutely nothing close to sharp in the room. Just then, I glanced up at the mirror on the wall and I knew my lucky break came.

I had no protective gloves or gear of any sort thus I punched at the mirror with only my bare fist. It was only after punching at the mirror with my right arm for a few times did it finally smash. The mirror shattered, flinging some broken pieces towards me and giving me several cuts on my arm. However, I just ignored the pain and quickly took a glass piece with me. Now I turned towards the door and frantically, I began to pick the lock. I was quite sure that from the noise I made, people could hear me and would be rushing towards this room.

Finally after a few attempts, I opened the door and bursted out of the room. The entire hallway was dark, but from the few streams of moonlight I could see a door that led to the outside. Immediately, I broke into a run for that door, but my great escape wouldn't have been that easy of course.

There was a man guarding the door, a middle-aged man it seemed. I couldn't see well in the darkness, but I could tell he was trying to stop me. However, I came prepared of course. I seized my mirror shard and drew it close, near his neck.

"Do not scream or shout. I can hurt you badly here," I said. "Now unlock the door for me."

The man said nothing, well of course he didn't utter a thing. Silently, he obeyed my orders without hesitation and drew his keys to open the door. The moment the door swung open, I pushed him away and broke into a run for the outside.

As I ran out, immediately the cold night wind embraced me. This was my chance of freedom, my chance of escape. I sprinted across the grass and into the forest. However, just before that, I gave a quick glance back at the place which I fled from. To my surprise, the place which I was dragged off to wasn't a small building as I assumed, in fact it was a huge, gigantic mansion. Either way, I sprinted even faster when I saw the lights being switched on and the number of people stirring up in that house.

I took that as my cue to escape and scurried even further and deeper into the woods. The shouts and screams that went after me were deafening and chaotic, but I had to continue my run no matter what.

 _I will escape_ , I thought. _I will definitely escape from that Erik._


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello everyone. Sorry for the super late update. I have been so busy for the past few months that I didn't even have time to write a single chapter at all. So you know, I will not be giving up on this Fanfiction. It's the holidays now, thus I'm able to post more chapters in the next few days. I hope you would do try to give me a review or comment because I need to improve on this story before printing it. Thank you._

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My heart was thumping ferociously as I scrambled across the mass vegetation surrounding me; my feet crushing the dry and scattered leaves beneath. I drew sharp, short breaths of the cold night air as I continued to persevere on, running breathlessly and exhaustingly under the cover of the dark night sky.  
The hollering cries of the household servants had begun to fade, but I didn't dare to lower my guard. Run, run, run! My heart thumped wildly. I never dared to stop even though my legs had begun to ache with the fatigue. Thorns pricked my skin as I scrambled past the trees, past the ferns and the leaves, across the rocks and across the slippery stones on the soil. Only the cold, pale moonlight aided my poor night vision while I sprinted. However, it was only then as I ran, I realised that the initial dull pain of my arm had began to intensify. It was the multiple cuts I suffered from shattering the glass mirror earlier on, but I had always ignored it and focused on running away instead. At first, it was barely noticeable and it only bled a little. I could easily just ignore it because it was still bearable. Now it throbbed immensely and it was absolutely tormenting; the wound wasn't just stinging but burning and festering feverishly across my arm. I stopped running and tried to remove the thorns that lodged itself deeply in my skin, but each time I tried to pull out the thorns the pain was extremely excruciating. Blood was all over my arm and the initial small cuts on my skin had worsened to become even deeper cuts. Fresh blood was oozing out profusely, and the throbbing had become so agonising that I couldn't help but utter a loud cry.

I had no medical knowledge or any medication of sort. I only knew that I had to remove the thorns before it sank further into my flesh but each time I pulled a thorn out, I wanted to scream so badly. I forcefully stifled my scream, trying my best to bear the excruciating pain. It was such a long and torturous process. Beads of perspiration were trickling down my forehead each time I tried to remove the prickle.

As I was treating my wound, I couldn't help but be aware of my surroundings. It was only after a while when I stopped running that it actually came to my attention. At night, the forest grew bold. The shadows of the trees grew longer, the crickets sang louder and even the owls were hooting every now and then. A cold wind breezed by, and even the ends of my hair floated momentarily. I took out my bottle of precious water and poured water on my wound to rinse a little of my blood away. However as I soon as I did so, it stung so very immensely that I had to bite my lip fiercely to tolerate the burning pain. I stood there for a while, quietly concentrating on not crying out in pain.

It was only after a while when I lifted my arm and began to look at it; there was only the pale moonlight to help me see. My arm was evident of all the cuts and pricks on my skin but there was no more blood after rinsing it off. I ripped out a clean part of my shirt with my good arm and wrapped the cloth around my injured arm. I knew this wasn't the best medical treatment, but it was all I had.

I continued to trudge on deeper into the forest. I knew I couldn't just stay here because of the trails of blood I had left on the plants. I had cried out multiple times earlier and who knew if Erik and his servants were already searching for me? Instead, I decided to lie low and walk across the forest quietly. I couldn't risk any wild animals finding me either. The scent from my small puddle of blood would also prompt uninvited animals to visit me and I really didn't want to make my current situation worse than it already was now.

I walked slowly, deeper and deeper into the forest. I didn't know where I was heading and I was simply wandering aimlessly. How long had I been walking, I really did not know. Before I knew it, time was moving on quickly where the seconds were turning into minutes and the minutes was turning into hours. I continued to walk, as my feet slowly begun aching until I was too tired to even take another step. I slumped next to a tree trunk and sat down. The night air was cold, so very cold and I was extremely exhausted too. My eyelids had become so heavy and my mind was becoming hazy. It seemed that even opening my eyes became a great feat.

Being dazed as I was, I closed my eyes.

A vision appeared in my mind, and it was a masked man looking at me hauntingly with those golden eyes of his.

 _Erik, who is Erik?_ I smiled to myself. _Well, I wouldn't possibly be meeting him anymore. He's far away from me and I'm free._

 _Free,_ that was the last word that echoed in my head. _I'm free_.

Darkness enveloped me, and soon I felt into a deep slumber.

~~.~~

I heard sounds. What sort of sounds you might ask? There was the beautiful chirping of the birds to the soft buzzing of the bees. There was a soft, slithery hiss but I could well hear that the source of it was very far. Then there was also the voices of people talking. There was one voice in particular that was deep and melodic, and yet it somehow sounded so infuriated.

 _Infuriated?_ I chuckled softly to myself. _I wonder who is angry?_

It was just at this moment when there was this spark of comprehension. It was like connecting the two wires of thought together and thus giving birth to this newfound realisation.

 _Oh my goodness._

I jolted out from my sleeping position as I turned wildly around me. I could see the warm daylight stream across the forest floor as I felt a light breeze caress by. It was no longer night but day- and there were voices, voices of people coming closer. Immediately, I could recognise one of those voices.

 _It was him. He- Erik was coming._

Terror filled my very soul. Fear, extreme fear and panic began to cloud my thoughts. I immediately got up and grabbed for my bag but it was at this moment that I felt this familiar, immense pain shooting through my arm; just only worse. I couldn't help but scream on reflex, for it was just too excruciating. Hurriedly I undid my bandages to look at my arm, only to have my expression frozen in a glassy stare of horror.

It was extremely red and rash and as swollen as a goldfish. Disgust mirrored in my gaze, and I could feel my stomach lurching uncomfortably. My wounds got infected critically. I could feel something crawling up my throat as I stared.

"Someone screamed! I think Christine's here!" a voice amongst my pursuers suddenly shouted, and it brought me back to reality. Quickly, I wrapped my bandages around my arm again and broke into a sprint.

It throbbed painfully as I dashed across the steep path of ferns, rocks and even roots of the gigantic trees. However, I knew I had to run and I just forced myself to focus straight ahead in front of me.

"Hey, I think she's here!"

With my heart beating wildly, I bolted as fast as I could while my mind was screeching away madly about the wounds on my skin. More thorns pricked me as I ran wildly, but I didn't care.

If I stopped, that would be it. My only chance of escape would be over forever. I understood this perfectly and continued to scramble past more trees and ferns. It was the steady thump of their footsteps that echoed in my ears. I could hear shouts and hollering cries from just behind me, but I never dared to turn back.

 _Run, Christine, run!_ I could feel a sense of adrenaline surge through me as I quickened my pace and began to dash faster than I ever did before. It was only the throbbing of my arm that was holding me back and slowing me down. At first I tried to ignore it initially, but the pain had aggravated since yesterday and the wound was festering even so. At last, I could no longer keep up with this breathlessness and pain that I had to stop running. I panted ferociously, gasping for fresh, short mouthfuls of air.

Even though I had already travelled quite a long distance, the voices of the people searching me had not faded. In fact, I could tell that they were coming closer towards my direction and I knew I was already cornered. I had ran out of breath and my stamina was already completely used up. There was no way I could pick up on speed once again and let them lose my trail. However, it was at this moment that I thought up of a brilliant idea- the art of disguise. There was a great number of huge leafy plants all around me. If I could hide under these leafy plants and amongst the large rocks surrounding me, I might actually have a chance of being able to evade capture.

Hurriedly, I dived under the covers of the broad leaves and squeezed myself behind two large rocks. I covered myself only with a few more additional plants and leaves, so no one would suspect I was here. Then I scooted in, sat down and fell silent.

Soon, my pursuers arrived at where I disappeared. They sounded exasperated and equally just as breathless. Due to the leaves and plants covering my vision, I was also unable to see any of their faces.

"We lost her again!"

"Where did she go?"

"She just disappeared, like the wind!"

I could hear from their voices that my pursuers were all adult men. None of them sounded like the household servants from before. I held my breath- perhaps they were all Erik's henchman.

Just then, I could hear a voice. His voice was unlike all the other men, particularly deep, enticing and soft.

"Christine…" he whispered.

My heart was pounding wildly and my mind was literally going crazy from panic. I didn't dare to say a word or even breathe. I just kept silent, huddling myself between the two large rocks. Even I could listen from his voice that he was very close to me. The sound of his footsteps alerted me even more.

He was coming closer, closer towards me.

"Christine," he whispered. "Where are you?"

Amongst all the shouting the other men did, it was only Erik's voice that sounded most hypnotizing. But what confused me the most was the hint of worry and concern in his voice. Even from where I hid, I could tell he was restraining his emotions. _But why?_ I was befuddled. _Wasn't his declaration of love fake? Or could it be that he's trying to lower my guard?_

His footsteps were coming closer and soon, I could tell that he was just next to me. It was only the thin layer of shrubbery and fauna separating me and him.

Fear seized my heart. My face turned a ghastly pale, and it felt like my entire body was pulsing in the rhythm of my heartbeat. My voice was choked with tears; my mind going blank from any thought. My escape was almost complete. I just had to find a way to leave this forest!

But he was right beside me. I could even hear his breathing and I tried to edge further away.

"Christine?" his fingers brushed the layer of plants and vegetation. It seemed that he had already seen through the messily clumped layer of shrubbery was too thin and almost just fake. There was a distinct hint of suspicion in his voice.

My mind screamed. Every part of my body to even the tiniest strand of hair on my limbs was alert. His fingers began to part the layer between us, and I was ready to run to the opposite side. I quietly got up a little, my good arm clutching my injured arm. It seemed that my infected arm was screeching in such acute pain that I could no longer ignore. I got ready to move. Half of the layer between us was already removed when…

"Sir Erik!" a young man's voice called out. "I think we found her, Sir. There's a trail of broken branches if we backtrack a little. She must be already on her way and this is probably just a route to mislead us."

"You'd better be right," Erik's cold voice was stern and imposing. "This isn't a huge forest. It's too small to have any sort of dangerous animals living inside. If she's already at this part of the forest, she's almost reached the end."

"Find her!" Erik commanded fiercely. Immediately there was a hustling and shuffling of shoes as the other men hurried to the opposite side. Once Erik also left, I immediately got out of my hiding place.

I could finally breathe, and I heaved a sigh of immense relief. _Too close_ , I thought. _Far too close_.

If they were tracking my previous trail, they would realise from how I moved about that I was actually lost. Eventually the misleading trail would lead them back here. I had to continue to run, and I did so.

I scurried across the never-ending path of trees, ferns and alike; past more shrubbery and vines where each time thorns pricked my arm again. But I clearly knew from Erik's words was that I was almost out of the forest. It was from that spark of hope that my determination came from and from there, the source of my adrenaline.

 _Run, run, run!_ My head thumped wildly.


	6. Chapter 6

_I am sorry for this late post. Chapter 6 was supposed to be published like 2 days ago, but for some reason it felt so abrupt and weird between paragraphs. So I took it back to write more. Just a little more. A little more. And then boom- the average 2k words per chapter became 3.8k words for this chapter. That's almost 2 times the size of a normal chapter! Finally, I hope you guys will write a review. I realise that there are many followers for the story, and that's actually great! I do hope you can at least write a few words of encouragement if you enjoyed the story. Every bit of your reviews mean a lot to me. And the rate of how fast a new chapter would be written is also dependent on you- and the reviews too. If you liked it, do tell me about it by writing a small comment!_

 _Lots of thanks,_

 _Kittyflare_

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I remembered how incredibly thick the forest was, full of trees, shrubs, and ferns, and how I had run across the never ending path through the thicket. It seemed that no matter how much distance I covered, I was still not getting anywhere. My limbs ached from exhaustion, my stomach growled in hunger and my throat was parched dry from all the running. In the end, the pitiful amount of biscuits and the small bottle of water that I brought was far from being sufficient resources that could last me all the way through my escape attempt. I knew I had to hurry and seek rescue but it seemed that as each day passed by, the situation became increasingly dire. Each day, I got more exhausted and Erik got even closer to finding my whereabouts. Time was beginning to run out and my stamina was running out too. Even my infected right arm needed medical attention desperately as time continued on. By the third day, my arm already had an unhealthy, alarming mass of dark purple and red, the rash spreading even further across my skin and the bumps on my skin becoming even more swollen.  
I was aware; very much aware of it and extremely terrified, for I was completely unsure about what I had to do. The excruciating throbbing from my arm slowed my speed down greatly and it took every bit of my will not to scream hysterically in pain whenever I attempted to quicken my pace. All I could do was to walk across the steep trail in the thicket while trying my best to not make a sound, desperately praying that I could find help soon.  
As I traversed across the path, I had to maneuver myself carefully; cautiously avoiding being pricked by thorns or tripping on the large buttress roots of the forest trees. Occasionally though, a thorn would prick me or some gigantic roots would trip me. Other than that, I would usually be rather fine, just alone in the midst of the quiet forest.  
But as I wandered up the rocky trail, there was suddenly an echo from the thicket.  
I stopped.  
The sound also stopped. Everything became quiet again.  
What? My mind twirled in the thought. The sound came and went so fast, I could barely hear it. It was almost as if it was there for just a split second. I got wary of this and I tilted my head slightly to the side to pick up any trace of the reverberation but once again, everything resumed being quiet. I stood there a little longer and tried my best to hear for even just a hint of it.  
Suddenly, there was a resonance that reverberated deep from the forest.  
It was indeed faint, but the echo returned again and this time I listened carefully. It sounded so far away, deep in some part of the woods. But the sound grew louder and louder, slowly but surely until I could identify it like a roar. No- it was more of a sputtering, guttering sound of an engine. It was like…

A car! I thought. My mind raced wildly. A car meant people, and people meant that I would be rescued!

There was an intense flame of hope that sparked within me. If I could get the driver's attention, I could already leave this wretched place. In my mind's eye, I could see my rescue with a feeling full of hopefulness- I would race out of the forest calling the driver and the vehicle would pull over. After listening to my horrifying tale, he would place me safely in the car and drive me away from this terrible place. Before I knew it, I would be back to the city where the authorities were and finally, I would escape from Erik for real. It was this determination that fueled me, the main driving force that forced adrenaline to surge through me.

"Hey, wait! Wait up!" I shouted as I began to quicken my pace. I knew my right arm had begun to throb in acute pain, but I bit my lip and continued forward. I was close, so very close. Meeting my rescuers could help me escape from this hateful place and I understood this so very well.

I could already imagine it now. I could imagine myself safely tucked in my home, absolutely far away from Erik's clutches. After getting some medical treatment for my arm, everything else would be over. My old life would resume just as it was and my completely terrifying ordeal would be nothing more than a mere nightmare that would never be able to haunt me again.

I sprinted across the vegetation and the rocks, my heart pounding wildly. But as I scurried down a small, steep slope, suddenly I could feel extreme pain stinging from my arm. It was so incredibly bad that on impulse I , I gave a quick glance and it was the horrifying sight of it that made me quiver. Blood, fresh blood, was flowing out of my arm profusely and there was just so much of it that the dark purple mass of rashes on my skin was completely dyed a bright red from my blood.

It was this moment that my forehead had begun to warm up feverishly as I felt something wretched crawling up my throat. The disgusting sight of my poor, injured arm made me frustratingly anxious. I tried in desperation to wipe away some of the blood but all I did was smear more of it on my other hand.

Suddenly, there was the loud humming of the car nearby. Immediately I perked up, glancing around frantically for any hints about where it might be.

Right, I remembered, my earlier spark of hope reigniting once more. I'm almost there. I just have to cross this part of the woods and find the car to get help. I can do this. I'm almost there.

It was those last three words that echoed crazily in my mind. I began to break into a sprint once again, and even though my arm was throbbing in such excruciating pain, this time I ignored it. All I focused on was finding the source of the sound, wherever it was! Leaves brushed my cheeks, branches poked my skin and my legs ached menacingly from all my running. But I didn't care. All I did was run and run. I scrambled and scurried- whatever you would call it. I just never stopped until…

I tripped.

Suddenly, my vision blurred. I began to slide past down the slope in such frightening speed. Everything seemed to sweep past my line of sight. My heart began to thump madly and I closed my eyes out of pure terror. I rolled across the patches of grass and soil repeatedly where the little bits of sticks and stones had begun to poke me. It seemed like an endless nightmare of a roller coaster ride and my desire to scream was so great that it almost threatened to envelop me. But at the rate that I was rolling down, I decided it was best to stifle my shouts.

Although it felt almost never ending, suddenly I stopped sliding. I felt myself tumble out from the trees and hit right smack onto a dry rough ground.

It was at this moment that I sat up and blinked. I blinked once, and blinked again. Soon, light flooded into my vision from all sides. At first, I couldn't help but feel relief wash over me like a flowing river. I had come out of that terrifying experience of tumbling down the slope in one piece after all. But then, the ache and the pain soon came. My body hurt badly and so did my face, but it was still minor injuries that I sustained. Everything was still fine except for the excruciating pain that shot through my right arm. My forehead began to burn feverishly. Hastily, I glanced at my arm to look at my skin, and blood was flowing out even more quickly. The sight of it was just so horrifying that I had to look away.

Slowly, I got up and began to look at my surroundings carefully so I could make out exactly where I was.

The very first thing I noticed was that there were no longer any trees surrounding me. Everything was bare. There was no more vegetation, ferns or rocks around me but a flat, open space.

I immediately turned around. Was I in a clearing? No, wait- it wasn't a clearing. It was a road. A road that led to an open space out of the forest.

That very thought struck me like thunder.

A road outside the woods and I'm on that road. I stared blankly into space.

A road outside the woods and I'm on that road.

The words seemed to buzz excitedly in my head.

A road outside the woods and I'm on that road! Immediately, I couldn't help but smile. I let out a yelp of joy and I couldn't help but grin widely.

I've finally escaped from the forest!

Those were the very words that fueled my excitement once more. Never had I become this happy and euphoric and so full of hope and joy. There was this absolutely great feeling of immense uneasiness being lifted completely from my chest.

I'm out of the forest!

Everything I had worked for. Every moment of endless running. Every bit of pain that I had suffered. Through it all, it was worth it in the end.

I couldn't help but agree. I couldn't help but smile. Finally, I could taste the sweet fruit of my efforts; success alone felt so victorious and so full of euphoria that even I was at a loss for words. I kept smiling and grinning to myself, telling myself that my escape attempt had been successful. This alone felt so good, so alive!

I had been chuckling to myself, laughing and rejoicing so happily. But quickly, I had to compose myself and get ready to move once again. Getting out of the forest was one thing; getting home was another. But this time it was different. This time, determination flashed in my eyes. I already knew I won half the battle when I left the forest.

This time, I would win the war.

It was just then, when there was this familiar sound of a car engine rumbling nearby. I turned around immediately, only to find headlights beaming directly at me as the car skidded around a corner. In the blink of an eye, it had already appeared in front of me, zooming across the road towards me.

I wanted to wave my good arm and call for help but at this moment, realisation suddenly dawned on me.

I saw who the driver was- it was him.

As the engine roared like thunder to my eardrums, the car was coming closer and closer while I was stupefied, my feet rooted to the floor and my mind blank.

How could it be? My eyes widened in terror as I felt my heart sank. How could such high spirits easily plunge into despair?

The car was coming, its engine rumbling and I was still rooted to the same spot. It was only when the lights shone even more brightly at my eyes that I realised how incredibly close I was to the car.

Terror gripped my very being and I forcefully threw my body to the side of the road. The impact struck me directly on my right arm as I let out an immensely loud shriek. Blood began spurting out of my wound even faster than ever and this time the stinging was an incredibly acute, sharp pain. Now it felt like my entire body and my forehead was burning feverishly. The intense stinging stayed for a few more seconds before it returned being painful, but yet bearable again.

However, before I could completely be aware of my surroundings again, I could hear the sound of the car door unlocking. Just a few seconds ago before I threw myself to the side of the road, the car had already screeched to a halt inches before hitting me.

Slowly, I tried to get up steadying myself. My breathing had become heavy as my head throbbed hurtingly. Every inch of my body seemed to be burning as I tried to focus my gaze forward.

Meanwhile, I could hear the sound of the car door being closed. This jolted me in fright, and I turned around in horror. Where the bright orange light from the setting sun streamed, there was a mask that glistened ever so lightly. He stood there not saying a word, but just staring at me.

"Don't come near me," I said immediately on impulse. Hot tears began to well up in my eyes, blurring my vision. It made my heart swell so much when the hard truth of reality began to hit me. The moment I met him, my chances of escape had already dwindled. A lump had already formed in my throat as I choked in tears. "Don't come!"

There was silence for that moment. Only the first wisps of the night air blew by, making me shiver uncomfortably. Erik had said nothing. For those few seconds, all was quiet until he took one step to the front- and then another and another.

"Go away!" I shouted as I started to back away cautiously. But Erik never stopped coming towards me. Those amber eyes of his swept across me, then fixated itself onto my own eyes. From the way he directly gazed at me, it was as if he was trying to read my very own soul; every thought and emotion. But when I stared back into his eyes, instead of finding coldness and indifference in him, all I saw was concern and worry. For some reason, there was a sense of sincerity to all those emotions that he carried and it flickered for a split second, before it disappeared. It was his gaze that confused me the most.

"Christine," his voice was soft yet taut, deep and melodic. He took a step forward, and I edged back warily. But this time, he didn't take small, slow steps. He began to stride, walking so much like a predator cat and this frightened me the most. I started backing frantically, but his speed was faster. He never stopped striding towards me even as his eyes peered right into mine.

"Christine," his voice sounded more firm as he began to pick up his pace. His frightening speed started to be increasingly fast until just simply backing away wasn't enough to maintain the distance between us.

My mind was throbbing in thought, my forehead was burning intensely and my heart was thumping even more fiercely than ever.

"Don't come to me!" I yelled in panic. But he never stopped. Step after step he took, and each time every inch of my being was alert; absolutely aware of him. Finally after he took another step, I turned away and broke off to a sprint in panic.

Off I went, running through the open road before me while my hair was flying in the whipping wind. It was only my right arm that bled and hurt so madly but I forced myself to ignore the pain and to instead focus on running.

Run… run… run! The words echoed crazily in my mind as I scrambled blindly in the open space. It was only then when I could hear the roaring of a car engine that fear enveloped me whole.

I scurried in panic, cutting across the right side of the open space. The rumbling of the car engine was mounting and mounting and my heart was thumping even faster and faster. Even my chest heaved in and out as I breathed in loud, audible gasps and my legs were aching sorely from all the sprinting. But I never stopped running no matter how incredibly tired I was. After all the pain, the sweat and the blood, I had finally come so far to this point to even think of giving up. Everything was so close, just too close. My success in this escape attempt was right in my grasp. If I gave up now, Erik would take me back, back into his home and I would be imprisoned with him forever. But I just couldn't live with that sort of twisted reality. I wanted my freedom. I wanted my rights.

I wanted to see my home again.

I wanted to see Father again.

That thought alone began to drive me forward. The tears in my eyes had begun to flow in frustration as I continued scurrying across the open road before me. I ignored the stinging pain of my right arm. I ignored the heavy throbbing of my head. I ignored the feverish burning all over my body. I just continued pushing myself forward, looking only straight ahead and never behind.

But suddenly, it was just then that amidst all noise and the chaos, that the most unexpected thing came into view. Even I was surprised and it shocked me for a moment because I never expected that such a thing would be here in the middle of nowhere.

'Large' was the first word to describe it for it was entirely massive in size and it towered over me, casting an immense shadow that easily covered me. It was an entire concrete building that was evidently a few decades old and it stood before me. I gasped at the sight of it, and for a moment I was at a loss for words. The building itself seemed to have an initial base colour of white but it was clear that after all those years since it was built, its pristine white colour had already been reduced to a dull greyish colour. Some of the paint on its walls had already peeled off while some parts of the building had already rotted away. It was only then when I saw a few faded letters situated right above the entrance of the building. As I looked at it closer, it read the Grand Cyprus Hotel.

Hotel? That was the first word that echoed in my mind. How interesting. The first thought that came to me was perhaps people could be living in the building. But as I gazed at the hotel again, it came to me that no matter how one looked at that building, anyone could tell it was old and abandoned for a long time; if not years, then decades. There was definitely no way that anyone would be living inside it now.

Suddenly, just then, I could see headlights beaming from the corner of my eye. It was so blinding, so unexpected that it made my heart skip a beat and my mind swirl in panic.

Erik! His name was the first thing that came into my mind. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know what to think, but I knew it well in my heart that it was him. He was coming.

Instinctively in fear, I dashed straight for the building, not even daring to turn behind. The moment I entered the building, I immediately slammed the door shut. With raw fear terrorizing me, I sprinted blindly across the different dimly-lit rooms, desperately gasping for breaths as I ran. Never once did I stop, and never once did I try to rest. All I did was run endlessly, either moving straight across the rooms or heading for a turn around corridors. Either way, I never once dared to take even a small breather.

But slowly, very slowly after passing each different room of the hotel, hope began to build within me. It was a spark, just a small, tiny spark that lit within me but it burned brighter each time I dashed past a ballroom or a dining room that was connected to one another. I knew- I knew very well that if I could keep this up, eventually I could shake Erik off my trail in this building.

This was the very idea that fueled me and filled me with adrenaline. I scurried past even more rooms, dodging the broken furniture that lay on the floor and racing past each door. Everything was going smoothly well, and all was fine until-

An incredibly immense, acute pain suddenly shot right through my arm. It hurt so much that I dropped right onto the floor, screeching a bloodcurdling cry. Those previous incidents of my wounds throbbing or aching was completely far beyond comparison from this one. This time my right arm was not just stinging, it was burning and burning, as if there was an entire flame devouring my whole arm completely.

It was painful, so extremely painful that black spots began to appear in my line of vision. Even blood, more blood began to spurt out of my skin. Beads of cold sweat was trickling down my forehead as I laid there, gasping for air like a dying fish out of water. Unlike the previous occurrences, this time the pain persisted and stayed on while I laid there completely helpless.

But just then, I could hear footsteps. It was barely audible, almost silent even, but Erik's footsteps were coming closer, even nearer and nearer.

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to tell myself that none of this was true. I wanted to tell myself that this was a nightmare that would end anytime now.

The sound of his footsteps never stopped. Erik was coming closer and closer as the door was slowly being pushed open.

Depressingly, this- this was the true beginning of the nightmare.

The door opened, and his gaze met mine.

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 _If you enjoyed this chapter and want to read more, do write a review!_

 _\- Kittyflare_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello everyone. Firstly, I want to thank everyone so far who have been reading, following or reviewing this story. I read every one of your reviews and I try my best to improve in the writing in every following chapter. I'm always glad to see what your comments are or when someone decides to favourite or follow the story. Yes, it does make me happy. Now secondly, I would also like to apologise to you all. I know this chapter came really, really late and yes, I do owe you all an apology. But I also have my reasons. Recently last year, my mum just got diagnosed with cancer and I had been extremely busy for the last two months in November and December. As for this year, I'm finally in my last year of Secondary school. This means I have a really important major exam to take by the end of this year, and I need to use as much time as I have to concentrate on studying instead. This means that this Fanfic will have to go on a temporary hiatus for the next few months until nearing the end of November. Once again, I apologize, but I'm sorry that I still can't do much about it. After November I will try to post more chapters to make up for the lack of chapters this year. If you have any other questions or inquiries, feel free to PM me and I will write back to you asap. Okay, so I know I've held up your time and I don't want to delay you guys any further. I hope you like the next chapter. Please enjoy!_

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Hope; I know this word. It was hope that became my source of inspiration. Hope that helped me surmount all my difficulties. Despite how cold or cruel the darkness could be, it was always hope; that clear spark of light that would be birthed and delivered in times of trouble. Similarly, it was like how I always thought my Father could possibly be cured of his diseases. Or that I could have more than a life of poverty. In all of its likeness, it was always this emotion that allowed me to find the newness; the energy to continue on in life. And yet, how ironic my situation became when I had hoped. I didn't taste any sort of victory or any form of success. All I tasted was the incredible bitterness of failure and defeat.  
I lay on the cold marble floor, weakened from the acute pain and nauseous from the disastrous spinning in my vision. Black spots started to appear within my sight and I could feel my chest rising and falling as I gasped to breathe only shallow mouthfuls of air. I could feel my heart sinking; my entire body plunging into a state of despair. Warm tears slowly emerged from the corners of my eyes, gradually flowing down my cheeks.  
When the door creaked open, I knew where hope had finally brought me to. Like a broken doll, I lay pathetically on the floor, unable to escape and unable to flee. To even catch a glimpse of just his silhouette already sent shivers down my spine. Fear was beginning to devour me when the door began to fully open. More tears ran down my cheeks as I stayed helpless, like a prey cornered by its predator.  
This was where Hope brought me to. I became broken, weakened and powerless. I had sunk into a state far miserable than before.  
The moment the door was fully opened, I met his gaze. Beneath the mask, I could sense his immense anger. His eyes were ablaze with fury, glaring so intensely it intimidated me. I immediately shrank and cowered in fear, trying desperately to avoid his eyes. But his gaze was sharp and piercing, directed only towards me. I could feel his eyes all on me, as if he was even peering into the very depths of my soul. Under him, I shifted uncomfortably, afraid to even glance back.  
In the room, there was nothing but silence between the both of us. The air was so tensed that it was even difficult to breathe.  
I dared not to utter a single word. Erik continued to study me intently.  
The silence dragged on.

Amongst all these, terror was gripping my very soul. In my mind, my thoughts were literally screaming out of pure trepidation. I wanted to escape far far away from this cruel reality but I knew my body has already failed me. All my strength had been drained completely; only the pain and exhaustion remained. As helpless as I was, I could only stay motionless on the floor.

But suddenly, Erik started striding towards me. His footsteps were silent and almost entirely unheard, but his pace was frighteningly fast. Immediately, I froze in fright. His footsteps soon stopped.

Without realizing, I looked up, and there, I met his eyes.

Everything went quiet again.

He was close, so very close that our faces were almost touching. But it was those golden eyes of his that peered intensely at me. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Even from his gaze, Erik seemed to look lost and unguarded for a few seconds. But then, the emotions in his eyes soon flickered, and in its place was indignant fury.

I tried to move away in response, but it was the terror and dread that rooted me. His hand came forward, almost touching me.

"Why?" his voice was trembling in such rage, that I began to cower even more. "Why did you run?"

I could only freeze. I didn't know what to say.

"Then tell me why," he said. "Why did you leave?"

It was his expression that made my mind scramble wildly for thoughts. His eyes were blazing in such outrage that it terrified me so much. My voice was stuck in my throat. Only a small glistening tear slid down my face in response.

"I left," I said. "I left because I hate you."

Erik paused for a moment. His eyes and his expression became entirely unreadable for a few seconds, but it was in this short pause that I remembered all the anger and frustration that had accumulated in me over the last few days. It gave me the strength and courage to rise up to Erik again.

"You can't hold me captive," I replied. "I deserve my own rights to my freedom."

Erik remained frozen and unreadable, once again muddled in his thoughts.

"You have to let me go. I belong to no one but my Father!"

"You belong to me!" he yelled all of a sudden, and it was that authoritative voice of his that scared me once more. I took a step back again and stopped shock in my tracks. My eyes flickered in fright for a second, but quickly I urged myself to have the will to continue on.

"I belong only to my Father!"

"You belong only to me!" Erik was heaving in exasperated breaths. His hands came firmly on my arms as he clutched me tightly. Immediately, I felt my right arm sting in such agonising pain that I let out a scream and fell back on the floor.

Erik remained startled as he watched my fall. As I whimpered and writhed in pain, it was only then that he gave a glance at his hand. Streaks of fresh, red blood stained his palm. It was only at this point that he realised once again how badly injured I was.

As I lay, my vision began to give way with the number of black spots starting to proliferate and multiply. Each time the throbbing hurt, I could feel all my energy drain away. Being weak as I was, I began to succumb to the darkness…

But suddenly I could feel a great warmth spread as I felt someone supporting my back and my legs and lifting me up.

Everything seemed so hazy and I was beginning to lose my consciousness, but I didn't want to black out. I knew I couldn't black out. I couldn't appear defenseless right when Erik was alone with me.

"Put me down," I uttered weakly, my skin going paler by the second. But Erik ignored my plea completely. He continued on carrying me across the rooms and even when we were out of the building.

In a fruitless attempt, I placed my hand on his chest to stop him, but my strength was so minute compared to his. I tried to struggle, but soon I fell back into his arms.

Everything became so much more exhausting and tiring. My line of sight began to darken, until Erik suddenly stopped.

We were at the edge of a cliff, and there, before my very eyes, I saw the entire scenery of cerulean blue seas and waves. At the edges were cliffs with steep rocks at the side, with no beaches or sand or whatsoever. It took a while for the reality of the situation to dawn on me. Erik paused for a while, before he spoke.

"You can never escape from me, Christine," Erik uttered. "It is but a fruitless effort. This entire island we're on is privately owned by me. No boat or ship arrives on my island without my permission. Neither does anyone or anything leave without my approval. You can never escape because this is now your home."

His words- they carried so much shock and despair that the emotions just slammed mercilessly right onto me. It was just too much to take in; the fact that all my efforts until now was completely just for naught. The darkness within the corners of my vision began to stir and spread. Everything soon became blur in the darkness and I…

I blacked out.

~.~

Streaks of light started penetrating through the darkness as my eyes slowly opened. From my slumber I awoke, and it felt like everything was so hazy for a moment. As I glanced around my surroundings in a blur, I realised I was in a room. It had its familiar design of patterns intertwined with the colours red and black and even black laces sewn on the large canopy of a massive bed. It took me a moment to realise why the room had seemed so familiar.

This was one of the rooms in Erik's house.

I jerked off the bed in shock, only to scream out in pain when my right arm throbbed. I turned frantically to my side, to see bandages wrapped neatly on my arm and few stains of blood on the cloth.

It was at this moment that I realised my forehead had been burning so feverishly along with my entire body. My throat felt sore and rough, and it was dry for I also felt thirsty. Amidst all the shock and confusion, I looked frantically across the room. The strong smell of medicine filled the air, and I coughed at its curious odor. First Aid boxes were lined up on the table before me, along with rolls of bandage cloth. As I looked across the room, I saw that while it was a familiar place, there were several missing items. The mirror I had broken previously was completely removed. Every little sharp object- from the most harmless earring to even just a simple pair of scissors- they were all gone; entirely removed. Even as I stared at the window, it had also changed. More window grills were placed to guard its opening and only sunlight could stream through.

As I glanced around, I realised where I was once again- back in my prison. The thought of this made me incredibly irate, and I could feel a sense of hatred churning in me. Erik, Erik, Erik! It was his name that first came to my mind, the name of the man I have learnt to hate yet fear so much. In my memory, I still remembered when he brought me to the cliffs of his island and pointed out from the coasts that I had completely no chance of escaping in the first place. The thought of it was extremely frustrating and so full of despair; all the running I had done through the forest, all the exhaustion and pain I felt, and even all the times when I was plagued by my constant thirst and hunger… they were all for nothing?

The fact that this was the very truth of reality irritated me immensely. In my mind's eye, even I could see Erik once more. There were spasmodic flashes of my memories of him from the time he first kidnapped me, to the time when he imprisoned me and also to the time when he forced me to sign his marriage contract. Each and every one of those memories angered me further to the point that my fists were clenched even without me realising.

Just then, the door suddenly swung open and in came a maidservant who looked at me from the door. Her eyes lit up in surprise the moment she saw me and quickly she went away after locking the door. I looked back at the door blankly, unknowing of what was happening.

But somewhere in my mind, I knew what she was going to do. I knew who she was going to.

I gripped the edges of the bed covers tightly as I felt my forehead continue to burn feverishly. I knew that in a matter of seconds he would soon come and true enough, I could hear the sound of almost silent footsteps arriving at the door.

As he opened the door, the thought of seeing him sickened me to the core. But the moment I caught sight of him, I sat up straight in an attempt to stay in a less defenceless position.

He stood there, with an intimidating aura, once again silently staring directly at me. I mustered my courage to meet his gaze and glare at him back, but he didn't just stare at me. Erik began to suddenly come closer to me. My heart jolted in surprise by his action, and instinctively I backed to the furthest corner of the wall away from him.

Just as how as he suddenly started striding towards me, Erik suddenly stopped and stood, staring intently at me.

"Good morning Christine." his voice was flat and formal, in a very confident business-like manner.

As I looked back at him, I saw his eyes were the same striking amber colour as ever, even beneath the mask. However, this time, Erik was expressionless. His face showed no hint of any emotion or even a slight flicker of any sort of expression in his eyes. Even the tone of his voice was plain and flat.

I frowned in confusion and merely stared back blankly.

"Morning." I said quickly.

Immediately after I spoke, an awkward silence filled the room. Erik merely continued to studying me in the ensuing silence, his face not expressing a single emotion until he finally spoke.

"Christine, how are you feeling?"

It was at this moment that I remembered how my arm was stinging so immensely and my body was burning so hotly and so uncomfortably. But I didn't want to show any sort of weakness to this man, so I turned away.

"This is not your concern," I said, averting my eyes. "I don't feel like talking to you at all."

But it was at this moment that I knew my words fell on a landmine for his eyes crackled with seething fury and he came and advanced even nearer towards me. In response, I turned and flinched back in shock, meeting his gaze.

Our eyes locked.

His expression was completely one of indignant fury to the point that his face muscles were incredibly tensed and even his veins showed. My heart began to thump wildly and I could feel goosebumps all over my skin. This time he was so extremely infuriated and also so close to me that I could only express pure terror. I froze up like a frightened little mouse, and my fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

His voice came softly like a hushed whisper and yet it was as sharp as the blade of a knife.

"Christine," he uttered, in exasperated breaths. "You do not decide the course of events. When I say the conversation is not over, it is not over." His voice was slow and threatening, and it felt like a knife was slowly being stabbed into me.

My eyes widened in shock as I remained stunned and unmoving.

Slowly his hand came and slid onto my lap, and I remained trembling more than ever.

"I tolerated with your foolishness for the past few days. Your rash and ignorant act to escape into the forest was completely childish and a waste of time. Here you come back all bruised and ill and yet you dare to talk in such a manner."

I could feel my entire forehead burning even more hotter than ever, and my tears had begun to emerge from my eyes and fall. But even as I sat trembling and afraid, I could also feel my anger and hatred churn inside me. I remembered all the suffering this man made me go through. All the pain, the unhappiness, and the sadness I felt when he took away my freedom from me.

"I fled because I wanted to be free. You can't imprison me against my will either!"

"You belong to me!" he yelled in that authoritative of his. I stopped for a second. The closeness and the loudness of his voice frightened me and shook me to the core. As I stared back, my tears were already rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably.

"I don't belong to you!" I retorted back. "You kidnapped me and you brought me here. All I want to do is go home!"

"You are already home!" he yelled back once more. This time, the proximity of his presence terrified me and I began to cry and sob loudly. While I had been sobbing and crying, Erik simply stood and stared back at me again.

The hatred I felt was so immense it threatened to devour me. In that moment I could feel my head ache so painfully as did my arm throb. Dark spots started clouding my vision heavily and soon everything was spinning.

It was just all of a sudden, when I could hear no sound either.

Everything went black.

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 _Please leave a review! - Kittyflare_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi guys, I'm super sorry for updating like a year later. Just so you know I don't have any plans to drop this fanfiction. I'll make sure I see it to the end. My major school exam of the year is about to end, which is why you have a new chapter here. I'm going to update this fanfiction again, possibly in mid-November, late November or December. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter till then!_

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He gazed upon the night sky, only to see a vast expanse of blackness that blanketed the entire island. It was like staring into an ocean of darkness; there were barely any shimmering stars that dotted the night. There was just one large, luminous moon which glowed softly in the darkness. Streams of pale, silver moonlight lingered, causing his pristine mask to gleam under the full moon. His eyes showed no emotion, his facial expression indifferent and cold. He merely stood by the window in the dark of night, where in one hand he was holding a fine glass of red wine.

The night had been silent and serene, only his heart was not as peaceful. There were many matters weighing heavily on Erik's mind but they were things he didn't know how to start talking about. He merely looked out of the window alone, amidst the vast quietness and darkness that surrounded him.

A faint, discernible wind caressed by, brushing against the surface of the red wine. Small ripples ruffled the stillness of the surface. He brought the scarlet wine to his lips as he started sipping it. When he finished the glass of wine, he sat back on his chair and closed his eyes. The cool, night zephyr soon breezed by, tousling his hair playfully. He still didn't say a word, rather his lips creased grimly, his eyebrows furrowing.

This night would be a long, lonely one.

Sleep would never come to him. Rather, how could it? His heart was a complete mess, his mind mainly filled with restless thoughts about his dear Christine. She laid on the bed in the room next to him silently. Only the soft, beeping sound of the machine that measured her heart rate filled the air. Everything else in the night was quiet, just too quiet for him.

Erik gripped the hands of the chair tightly, the veins on his hand almost visibly bursting. His jaw clenched agitatedly and his golden eyes were ablaze with seething fury. Very simply put, Erik's soul was extremely restless. The events of the past few days came to him, gushing like a stormy wave. His abduction of Christine, her irksome attempt of fleeing and her final return back to the mansion- there were simply so many matters on his mind that made him grow irritably vexed and distressed. The very heart of the trouble was Christine and her naivety; that was what gave him the most painful and immense headache. He'd wished she simply just obeyed and listened. He wished she didn't try to run and enter the forest. When she came back, her body was badly bruised and the infection on her arm was growing disturbingly disastrous. He had already examined her body, only to realise that she was down with a dreadful fever. Her body temperature was already extremely high yet it was still continuing to soar relentlessly.

Of course his immense fury enveloped him almost immediately. Christine was careless to not even consider about her own health, it was to the extent that she could ruin her body so disastrously in just a few days. The anger and the exasperation was swirling inside him dangerously. Anymore of this nonsense and Erik would explode. Just the day before, he had come to see her, wanting to warn and reprimand her for her doing a thoughtless act like venturing into the forest. Erik didn't care if she became afraid. Instead, he would rather want her to be fearful. As long as her heart was shrouded in fear, she wouldn't dare to attempt running away again- this was also why he showed her that the entire island belonged to him. As long as he could break her spirit of escaping, anything would be fine.

But he also knew Christine wasn't a girl who would simply sit back and play the damsel in distress. She would fight back and rebel, even when everything opposed her. Erik leaned back on his chair again, letting out an extremely frustrated sigh.

He was never swarmed with this much trouble in his life. At least not so recently. It was only Christine, Christine who would once again plunge everything into chaos and stir mayhem in his heart.

Indeed, it was only Christine who could do it. She was the gem in his heart after all.

This was precisely the reason that time and time again, Erik couldn't control his explosive feelings well. It would come as a gush of anger, full of mixed feelings. With the fact that Erik could never express his emotions well, all their conversations always erupted into heated arguments.

His mind was indeed in a whirl. There were many things that happened and there were many things he wanted to explain to Christine. He wanted to tell her sorry first. He never wished to make her so stressed up and angry like that. He sincerely wanted to care for her and just keep her close to him. But every time he remembered that Christine hurt herself, he couldn't help but feel a massive amount of rage building up rapidly inside him. That was the reason why he shouted at her yesterday. He intimidated her with the sole goal of making sure that she would never try to flee again. Indeed, he was certain that he had successfully made her give up the idea of escaping from him. It was just that he couldn't control his anger yesterday, and in the midst of his fury, he despicably provoked the already sickly Christine to the point that she fainted once again.

Erik grasped the handles of his chair tightly and got up. He wordlessly looked up at the dark night sky. In the vast blackness, there were smoky wisps of clouds that seemed to mask the bright luminous moon. Now, a frosty, cold wind blew by, rustling the leaves of the forest. Erik walked out of his room in quick strides, only to approach the door of the next room nervously.

His Christine was sound asleep, sinking into a deep, soft slumber. He walked towards her slowly, ensuring that his footsteps made no sound. He stared at the stunning, delicate face before him. Under the pale moonlight, Christine's skin appeared fair and snowy white. Her porcelain face had a perfect, smooth complexion. Her long, curly brown hair cascaded across her shoulders as she slept on peacefully.

Erik came to her, a lone finger gently touching her face and her hair. His moistened, golden eyes shimmered under the silver moonlight. He withdrew his hand carefully, before firmly gripping the mask that covered the other half of his face.

Everything that Erik did was just so he could keep her close to him. He wanted her to be with him. He wanted her to love him. And he wanted to express his own love to her. All he desired for was her to stay by his side.

But how could it be so simple? With this cursed face of his that hid under the mask, even she would scream in horror and undoubtedly detest him if she saw his deformity. She'd run away, far far away where he could no longer reach her and reject him with all her heart.

He only wanted to come to her world and gain her acceptance and affection. All he wanted was her to love him. It was so simple… and yet so hard.

There was really no other way. He had to kidnap her. He simply had to. He finally tied her down with marriage and got her to be his wife. But each time he saw her, she was always crying. Countless times she screamed and declared her hate for Erik.

How could Erik, who loved her with his entire soul even bear to hear these very words being uttered from her lips? They would argue again, repeatedly and continuously, each side being obstinate and absolutely refusing to back down. But in truth, this was also the reason why Christine was extremely sick now. The stress from their quarrels, the fear when she was kidnapped and her frustration of not being able to escape. It all built up, resulting in her body being wrecked and ruined like this.

Erik knew, he certainly understood all this. He himself was a doctor. He checked up on her earlier, only to find out that she not only had an extremely high fever and a problematic arm infection, there was a possibility that she sprained a muscle. This very thought made him excessively frustrated and distraught. Of course he immensely hated the fact that Christine was injured so badly. But he knew he had the financial capabilities and the power to give her the best medicine for her to recover as soon as possible. As long as she would be fine, he would do anything for her.

Tomorrow, when she would wake up, he would apologise to her. Erik was firm with himself, silently reminding that he could no longer provoke Christine anymore. If she had questions, he would answer. If she wanted something, as long as it wasn't about running away from him, he would give it to her. All that really mattered was Christine being healthy again.

He walked out of the room after rigidly making up his mind. He would try to reconcile with Christine. He would control his horrid temper and stop his explosive anger from erupting again. There were countless plans and calculations that Erik had thought and considered so thoroughly.

And yet in his heart, he was still terribly afraid.

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 _If you enjoyed reading this chapter or the story itself, please leave a review!_


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